The Veterans Affairs Department says it will take a second look at the
disability claims of what could be thousands of Gulf War veterans
suffering from illnesses they blame on their war service, the first step
toward potentially compensating them nearly two decades after the war
ended.

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said the decision is part of a “fresh, bold
look” the department is taking to help veterans who have what’s commonly
called “Gulf War Illness” and have long felt the government did little
to help them. The VA plans to improve training for medical staff who
work with Gulf War vets, to make sure they do not simply tell vets that
their symptoms are imaginary — as has happened to many over the years.

“I’m hoping they’ll be enthused by the fact that this challenges all the
assumptions that have been there for 20 years,” Shinseki told the
Associated Press.

The changes reflect a significant shift in how the VA may ultimately
care for some 700,000 veterans who served in the Gulf War. They also
could improve the way the department handles war-related illnesses
suffered by future veterans. Shinseki said he wants standards put in
place that don’t leave veterans waiting decades for answers to what ails
them.

About 175,000 to 210,000, Gulf War veterans have developed a pattern of
symptoms that include rashes, joint and muscle pain, sleep issues and
gastrointestinal problems, according to a 2008 congressionally mandated
committee that based the estimate on earlier studies.

The VA plans to review how regulations were written to ensure the
veterans received the compensation that they were entitled to under the
law. The VA would then give veterans the opportunity to have a rejected
claim reconsidered.

VA recognizes ‘presumptive’ illness

Afghanistan Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K Shinseki announced the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is taking steps to make it easier
for veterans to obtain disability compensation for certain diseases
associated with service in the Persian Gulf War or Afghanistan. This
will be the beginning of historic change for how VA considers Gulf War
veterans illnesses.

VA is publishing a proposed regulation in the Federal Register that will
establish new presumptions of service connection for nine specific
infectious diseases associated with military service in Southwest Asia
during the Persian Gulf War, or in Afghanistan on or after Sept. 19,
2001.

With the proposed rule, a veteran will only have to show service in
Southwest Asia or Afghanistan and a current diagnosis of one of the nine
diseases.

For more information about health problems associated with military
service during operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and
Enduring Freedom and related VA programs, go
here or here
for information about disability compensation.

Don’t delay filing ‘AO’ claims

Tens of thousands of Vietnam veterans with ischemic heart disease,
Parkinson’s disease or B-cell leukemia should file claims now with the
Department of Veterans Affairs for disability compensation, not wait
until VA publishes a regulation officially linking these diseases to
wartime service.

Advocacy groups are urging the swift filing of claims because veterans
eventually found eligible for disability pay for these diseases will be
able to receive compensation back to the date their claims were filed.

Those who wait for regulation to add these ailments to VA’s list of
disease presumed caused by exposure to Agent Orange and other toxins
used in the war could lessen, by several months of compensation, any
retroactive pay that they will be due once their claim has been
approved. To file a claim, call Bob Mitchell at 884-4115.

Reducing claims backlog

The president’s budget proposal includes an increase of $460 million and
more than 4,000 additional claims processors for Veterans benefits. This
is a 27 percent funding increase over the 2010 level.

The 1,014,000 claims received were a 75 percent increase over the
579,000 received in 2000. Shinseki said the Department expects a 30
percent increase in claims — to 1,319,000 — in 2011 from 2009 levels.

One reason for the increase is VA’s expansion of the number of Agent
Orange-related illnesses that automatically qualify for disability
benefits. Veterans exposed to the Agent Orange herbicides during the
Vietnam War are likely to file additional claims that will have a
substantial impact upon the processing system for benefits, the
secretary said.

Veterans/volunteers needed

Saratoga National Cemetery Honor Guard, in its 10th year, is recruiting
new members. This organization provides a great service to veterans and
their families. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Tom
Sawyer at 583-9352 or Bill Potts at 785-8742.

Robert Mitchell is director of the
Saratoga County Veterans Service Agency. Contact
him regarding veterans affairs at 884-4115.